1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a quick connector for piping for connecting hoses or pipes which are employed to transfer a fluid, such as gasoline, oil, water, air and the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There has been a conventional quick connector which is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Publication (KOKAI) No. 41,794/1989, and which is illustrated in FIG. 24. This conventional quick connector comprises a tubular-shaped male member 100 which includes an inserting end portion 102 having a ring-shaped engager 101 with a tapered surface 101a provided, a tubular-shaped female member 200 which includes a receiver hole 202 having an opening 201, and an engager claw member 300 which is made of resin and retained in the receiver hole 202 of the female member 200. The female member 200 is provided with a window 204 which penetrates through the perpendicular wall in a thickness-wise direction, and a tapered surface 205 is formed in the peripheral wall which defines the window 204 on the side of the opening 201. The engager claw member 300 includes an arm 300 and a claw 303.
In the conventional quick connector, the inserting end portion 102 of the male member 100 is inserted into the receiver hole 202 of the female member 200 through the opening 201, thereby displacing the claw 303 of the engager claw member 300 in a centrifugal direction with the ring-shaped engager 101 of the male member 100. When the ring-shaped engager 101 gets over the claw 303, the claw 303 is engaged with a perpendicular surface 101b of the ring-shaped engager 101 by a restoring force resulting from the elasticity of the arm 302. Thus, the male member 100 and the female member 200 are connected with each other.
Further, there has been another conventional quick connector as illustrated in FIG. 25. In this conventional quick connector, a female member 200 is provided with a window 204 which penetrates through the peripheral wall in a thickness-wise direction, and a perpendicular surface 207 is formed in the peripheral wall which defines the window 204 on the side of an opening 201.
Furthermore, there has been still another conventional quick connector which is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,042,848, and which is illustrated in FIG. 26. This conventional quick connector utilizes an engager claw member 500 which is exposed to the outside of a female member 400. The engager claw member 500 includes a ring-shaped base 501 which is exposed to the outside, an arm 502 which extends from the base 501 in an axial direction, a claw 503 which is disposed at a free end of the arm 503 so as to extend therefrom, and an engager projection 504 which is disposed so as to extend from the claw 503 in a centrifugal direction. The female member 400 is provided with a stopper surface 403, and a regulatory inner peripheral surface 405 on the side of an opening 401. The regulatory inner peripheral surface 405 extends from the stopper surface 403 in an axial direction.
In this still another conventional quick connector, a groove-like ring-shaped engager 602 of a male member 600 is engaged with the claw 503, and at the same time the engager projection 504 is regulated by the regulatory inner peripheral surface 405 while it is brought into contact with the stopper surface 403. Thus, the male member 600 and the female member 400 are connected with each other.
As the conventional quick connector illustrated in FIG. 24 is used for a long time, the edge of the ring-shaped engager 101 of the male member 100 is rounded at the top of the tapered surface 101a. Accordingly, when a large force is applied to the male member 100 so as to come off the female member 200, a large force is applied to the claw 303 of the engager claw member 300 in the centrifugal direction, and thereby the engaging force associated with the claw 303 is deteriorated. Further, when the male member 100 is moved relatively to the female member 200 in a radial direction outwardly, i.e., in a direction of the arrow "M2" of FIG. 24, the claw 303 is pressed onto the tapered surface 205 by a peripheral wall 100c disposed in the rear of the ring-shaped engager 100, and there arises a fear that the claw 303 is displaced along the tapered surface 205 in a centrifugal direction, i.e., in a direction of the arrow "M1" of FIG. 24. If such is the case, the engaging force associated with the claw 303 is also deteriorated. All in all, the conventional quick connector is not fully reliable in piping.
Moreover, in the conventional quick connector illustrated in FIG. 24, the engager claw member 300 is not adapted that it can be moved in the female member 200 in the axial direction, i.e., in a direction of the arrow "X1." Accordingly, when connecting the male member 100 and the female member 200, namely when lifting the claw 303 with the tapered surface 101a of the ring-shaped engager 101 of the male member 100, the tapered surface 205 of the female member 200 interferes with the claws 303 being lifted. Hence, a large resistance is exerted when lifting the claw 303.
The another conventional quick connector illustrated in FIG. 25 also suffers from the same adverse situation as described above. Accordingly, there arise the problems that the another conventional quick connector is not fully reliable in piping, and that a large resistance is exerted when lifting the claw 303. In particular, as the another conventional quick connector illustrated in used for a long time, the perpendicular surface 207 of the window 204 is rounded at the edge 207a, and thereby the claw 303 becomes likely to come off. As a result, the engaging force associated with the claw 303 is deteriorated.
In the still another conventional quick connector illustrated in FIG. 26, since a greater portion of the engager claw member 500 is exposed to the outside of the female member 400, it is very likely to be brought into contact with other apparatuses or the like. When such a contact occurs, there arises a fear that the claw 502 disengages. Hence, the still another conventional quick connector is not fully reliable in piping, either.
The present invention has been developed in view of the aforementioned circumstances. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a quick connector in which the engaging force associated with a claw of an engager claw member is exerted firmly, and whose reliability in piping is enhanced.